SenseList » History

Six Groups That Make Music with Unlikely Objects

Morgen Jahnke — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 10:29:32 +0000

It’s likely that early music making evolved from objects found in everyday life, natural materials like rock, animal bones, and wood, but the creation of instruments has gotten much more complex since then. Of course, a folk tradition of homemade instruments has continued, with instruments ranging from the jug, to the spoons, to various stringed contraptions. In the 20th century, composers and musicians refined the idea that music can be made with a variety of objects. The groups listed below take this idea to the extreme; using materials most of us wouldn’t think could produce musical sounds, they make us think differently about the objects we see everyday.

Bash the Trash: This group performs for kids and teaches them how to make musical instruments out of recycled materials.
Blue Man Group: A phenomenon around the world, this performance art group creates instruments out of PVC pipes and boat antennae.
Car Music Project: Founder Bill Milbrodt, with the help of various musical and mechanical experts, turned his 1982 Honda into a set of unique musical instruments, which include a bass made from the car’s gas tank, 55 percussion instruments, flutes made from tubes, a huge drum created from the trunk of the car, and an “air guitar” made from the car’s air cleaner.
Scrap Arts Music: Scrap Arts Music is a Vancouver-based group that makes music with instruments made from scrap metal.
Stomp: First started in the early 90′s in Brighton, England, the theatrical production Stomp has been popular ever since. Cast members perform intricate coordinated rhythms using objects such as garbage cans and lids, and matchboxes.
The Vienna Vegetable Orchestra: Using only fresh vegetables, this Austrian musical group creates unique sonic experiences for its audiences, and ends their performances with free helpings of vegetable soup.

Six Nicknames for French Presidents & Presidential Candidates

Morgen Jahnke — Mon, 07 May 2007 07:00:40 +0000

Yesterday’s presidential election in France featured two opponents who, despite their differences, actually have a few interesting things in common: both were born after World War II; neither previously held the office of prime minister or president (a first for a presidential candidate since the 1970s); and both have pithy and sound bite ready nicknames. The winner of the election, Nicolas Sarkozy, is often referred to in the media as “Sarko,” and his opponent, Ségolène Royal, was dubbed Sego (or Ségo).

It seems there is a bit of a tradition of giving French presidents and presidential candidates such hypocoristic (“endearing”) nicknames, as discussed in this fascinating post on the Language Log Web site.

Ségolène Royal: Sego/Ségo
Nicolas Sarkozy: Sarko
Jacques Chirac (Current President): Chichi; le Chi
François Mitterand (President, 1981-1995): Tonton
George Pompidou (President, 1969-1974): Pompon
General Charles de Gaulle (President, 1959-1969): le grand Charles; le grand Charlot

Six Symbolic Easter Treats

Morgen Jahnke — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 14:00:53 +0000

Although Easter is a Christian holiday, many of the traditions that have built up around it have their origins in earlier pagan celebrations of spring. That is why many of the sweet treats associated with Easter seem to have no connection to the Christian Easter story. However, since many of these goodies are symbolic of fertility and new life, they are now seen as having a connection to the new life/resurrection aspect of Easter. Here are a few of my favorite fertility-themed treats:

Cadbury Creme Eggs: Eggs are an obvious symbol of new life and fertility.
Cadbury Mini Eggs: Eggs again.
Chocolate Bunnies: Representing the rapidly-reproducing rabbit.
Jellybeans: Linked to Easter because they are egg-shaped.
Marshmallow Peeps: Baby chicks are often seen as a sign of spring.
Whoppers Robin Eggs: Yet another egg connection.

Five Light-Hearted Celebrations in March and April

Morgen Jahnke — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 14:00:38 +0000

In Western countries, April 1st has long been celebrated as April Fools’ Day, an opportunity to play tricks on others and to suspend seriousness for a short period of time. As it turns out, there are other holiday traditions that nearly coincide with the beginning of April; some have suggested that the start of spring in the Northern hemisphere may have an influence on these playful and light-hearted celebrations.

Holi (March): This festival in India is dedicated to the Hindu Demoness, Holika, and is marked by celebrants throwing colored powder and water over each other, and the usual social distinctions of caste, sex, status, and age are set aside for its duration.
Purim (March): Purim is a Jewish holiday celebrating the triumph of Queen Esther and her cousin Mordecai over the evildoer Haman, and often involves games, costumes, and joyful noisemaking. Christopher Guest’s 2006 movie, For Your Consideration, focuses on the making of a fictional film called “Home for Purim.”
Hilaria (March 25): On March 25th, ancient Romans observed Hilaria, a day marking the resurrection of the god Attis and also honoring his mother, Cybele, on which Romans conducted games, masquerades, and other revelries.
Poisson d’Avril (April 1): Literally, “fish of April,” this French version of April Fools’ Day involves pinning paper cut-outs of fish on other peoples’ backs, thus making them the “Poisson d’Avril,” or a fish so young and foolish that it is easily caught.
Taily Day (April 1): Also known as “Hunting the gowk” in Scotland, those who are tricked are known as “April-gowks,” or cuckoos.

Six YouTube Videos Featuring Entertaining Automatons

Morgen Jahnke — Tue, 20 Mar 2007 14:00:48 +0000

I first fell in love with automatons when I visited the famous Musée Mécanique in San Francisco. At that time it was housed in a dark, low-ceilinged hall right near the beach, but has since moved to the more tourist-oriented Fisherman’s Wharf. It’s a great place to visit; for a few quarters you can see how the technology of the past brought these mechanical figures to life. For a virtual version of this experience, check out these YouTube videos of automatons from museums around the world.

Sausage Automaton: Watch this clip from the Museum of Automatons in La Rochelle, France, to see poor porkers being made into sausages.

Skeleton Automaton: Marvin’s Marvelous Museum in Farmington Hills, Michigan is a popular destination in the area; check out the creepy insides of this macabre skeleton.

Silver Swan Automaton: At the Bowes Museum in North East England, this historic silver swan, created in 1773 and mentioned in Mark Twain’s book, The Innocents Abroad, is put into operation twice daily, at 2 p.m. and 3 p.m.

Hookah Bar/Opium Den: One of the more gritty scenes brought to life at the Musée Mécanique in San Francisco, California, this mechanical tableau features tiny figures conducting shady business in an undisclosed location.

Bimbo Box: Also from the MusÃ©e MÃ©canique, these highly entertaining monkeys with maracas perform a great number from West Side Story.

Laughing Sal: Although I find a little bit of Sal goes a long way, many people love her infectious and distinctive laugh. A survivor of the long-gone Playland-at-the-Beach amusement park, Sal is now a permanent fixture at the Musée Mécanique.

Seven Common Myths About St. Patrick

Morgen Jahnke — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 14:00:08 +0000

St. Patrick’s Day will soon be here with all its colorful traditions, which makes this a good time to look at the legends surrounding the man himself. Most everyone knows some part of St. Patrick’s story, from his expulsion of Ireland’s snakes to his favorite color. However, on closer inspection, some of the commonly held beliefs about St. Patrick don’t stand up to scrutiny. It is doubtful whether young Maewyn Succat from Bannavem of Taburnia ever dreamed that he would one day be toasted the world over on his own special day, or that such stories would be told about his life.

He was Irish: It is not known exactly where St. Patrick was born; his own writings note his birthplace as “Bannavem of Taburnia,” but this village could be in Scotland, Wales, England, or even the north coast of France.
His name was Patrick: Patrick was the name he took on when he began his work for the church; some sources claim his birth name was Maewyn Succat.
He was Catholic: There is some dispute about whether St. Patrick can be considered a Catholic; Protestant scholars note that Patrick wrote about his own beliefs and practices in a way not consistent with the Roman Catholic doctrine of his time. However, there is clear evidence that Patrick was ordained into the Roman church before he began his missionary work.
He was the first Christian missionary to Ireland: He was not the first, but perhaps the third missionary to Ireland.
He expelled all the snakes from Ireland: There is no evidence that this happened, and the Catholic church does not claim that it did.
He used the shamrock to teach people about the Trinity: Again, there is no evidence to support this story; it is most likely apocryphal.
He is associated with the color green: The original color associated with St. Patrick was blue, and furthermore, for many hundreds of years green was considered an unlucky color in Ireland.

21 Quirky Pub Names

Morgen Jahnke — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 14:00:01 +0000

I first became interested in the phenomenon of pubs with names that contain two nouns (e.g., Crown and Anchor) when I visited Oxford a few years ago. Some combinations seemed natural, like Fox and Hounds, while others left me scratching my head (Angel and Greyhound).

There are various explanations for these puzzling names, including the idea that early publicans distinguished their establishments from similarly-named ones by adding a unique second name. Also, as Bill Bryson points out in his 1990 book, The Mother Tongue, some of these compound names could be corruptions of the original names, such as Elephant and Castle (Infanta de Castille), Pig and Whistle (Peg and Wassail), and Dog and Bacon (Dorking Beacon). Whatever the case was in the past, there is a new trend of giving pubs self-consciously quirky names, as with the Slug and Lettuce chain of pubs in Britain.

United Kingdom:

The Actress and Bishop (Birmingham): This is quite a scandalous pair.
Adam & Eve (London): With a name like this, you might expect apple cider to be on the menu.
Angel and Greyhound (Oxford): I don’t know where the name came from, but these two fleet-footed creatures seem to go together.
The Ape and Apple (Manchester): Do apes eat apples? Try saying that five times fast.
Black Lion & French Horn (London): This pub is not short on adjectives.
Bull & Butcher (London): These two seem like unlikely name-fellows.
Butcher’s Hook & Cleaver (London): At this place you’re sure to have a bloody good time.
The Cock and Bottle (London): What else needs to be said?
Dog & Bell (London): I wonder if this pub has any relation to Ivan Pavlov’s famous experiment.
Eagle and Child (Oxford): Nicknamed The Bird and Baby, this pub was the favored haunt of the Inklings, a writers’ group whose members included J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis.
Hand & Shears (London): The name of this pub describes the guild sign for the Merchant Tailors of London, sometime proprietors of the pub.
Lamb & Flag (London): This pub is the oldest in Covent Garden (around 300 years old), and was once known as the Bucket of Blood.
The Leg of Mutton and Cauliflower (Ashtead): Wonder what’s on the menu?
The Lion and Lobster (Brighton): Otherwise known as the Surf ‘n’ Savannah special.
The Newt and Cucumber (Birmingham): Quick, two things that are cold and slimy…
The Pig & Porcupine (Manchester): Any relation to Porky Pig?
The Slug & Lettuce: This is actually a chain of pubs, with locations all over the UK.
The Swan and Cemetery (Bury): Sounds like a cheery place to grab a pint.

North America:

Cat & Fiddle (Los Angeles, CA): According to author Bill Bryson, this popular pub name was originally Caterine la Fidèle. The name for this Hollywood hotspot seems apt, considering many of the staff are musicians.
Frog & Nightgown (Coquitlam, BC): As long as it’s not “Frog IN Nightgown.”
Frog and Peach (San Luis Obispo, CA): This spot used to be an ice cream store before becoming a pub, but I hope the name wasn’t inspired by former flavors of icy treats.

Six (or More) Names for the Day Before Lent Begins

Joe Kissell — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 13:00:45 +0000

In Western Christian traditions, the period of Lent begins 40 days before Easter, starting with Ash Wednesday. The day before Ash Wednesday is known by a variety of names, and is frequently marked by celebrations, such as the famous Mardi Gras in New Orleans, the Carnaval in Rio de Janeiro, and the Carnevale of Venice.

Mardi Gras (“Fat Tuesday”): French-speaking countries and most of North America
Shrove Tuesday: UK, Ireland, Australia
Pancake Day: UK, Ireland, Australia, Canada
Sledziówka (“Herring Day”): Poland
Vastenavond (“Fasting Evening”): Netherlands
Carnival, Carnaval, Carnevale, Karnival, Karnaval, etc.: Used for the celebration period ending the day before Ash Wednesday in various other parts of the world

12 Things Thomas Jefferson Invented

Joe Kissell — Fri, 27 Oct 2006 13:00:07 +0000

When he wasn’t busy drafting the Declaration of Independence, founding the University of Virginia, or serving as President, Thomas Jefferson liked to invent things (and, frequently, improve upon other people’s inventions). He never took out a patent, owing to his belief that every invention should benefit all of society. Just a few of his numerous inventions (or innovations) include:

dumbwaiters for wine bottles
the Great Clock
the hideaway bed
macaroni and cheese, not to mention
a macaroni extruding device
the pedometer
the plow moldboard of least resistance
the polygraph (not a lie detector, but a copying machine)
a revolving bookstand
the spherical sundial
an improved swivel chair
the wheel cipher

You can learn more about many of these inventions at About.com and Jefferson’s Inventions.

The Castles of King Ludwig II

Joe Kissell — Fri, 13 Oct 2006 13:00:32 +0000

King Ludwig II, ruler of Bavaria from 1864 until 1886, is one of Germany’s more colorful characters. His reign coincided with huge political changes in Germany, including the push for unification of the German territories led by Prussia. However, Ludwig preferred designing and building elaborate castles to political maneuvering, and had a special fondness for the composer Richard Wagner and for his operatic works, which were a major influence on his construction projects.

Schloss Nymphenburg: Built in the 17th century by Ferdinand Maria, the Elector of Bavaria, Schloss (“castle”) Nymphenburg is now a popular tourist site in Munich. Ludwig was born in the castle in 1845.
Schloss Hohenschwangau: This castle was built by Ludwig’s father, King Maximilian II of Bavaria, from 1833 to 1837. Located near the town of Füssen in southwestern Bavaria, Schloss Hohenschwangau (“castle of the High Swan County”) was the childhood home of Ludwig II.
The King’s House on the Schachen: Technically not a castle, this mountain chalet built by Ludwig from 1869 to 1872, features a large room, the “Turkish Hall,” that incorporates design elements from the Orient, such as colored glass windows and richly embroidered textiles.
Schloss Neuschwanstein: Perhaps the most famous of Ludwig’s castles, Neuschwanstein (“new swan stone”) is located near Ludwig’s childhood home, Hohenschwangau. Although construction began in 1869, the castle was not completed in Ludwig’s lifetime. The design of the castle was heavily influenced by the 13th century Romanesque style, as well as the Wagner operas Tannhäuser and Lohengrin. Neuschwanstein is the model for the Sleeping Beauty castle in the Disney parks.
Linderhof: This castle began as a hunting lodge, but was remodeled extensively in the neo-Rococo style. Eventually the old hunting lodge was dismantled and rebuilt in the park surrounding the castle. This park also featured an underground grotto designed for opera performances.
Neues Schloss/Herrenchiemsee: The Neues Schloss (“new castle”), part of the Herrenchiemsee complex of buildings created on an island in Bavaria’s largest lake (the Chiemsee), is an homage to France’s Louis XIV. Inspired by Versailles, the castle was meant to be a full-size replica of that French castle, including the world-famous Hall of Mirrors. Ludwig only managed to stay in the castle for 10 days before his untimely death in 1886.
Falkenstein: Falkenstein (“falcon stone”) was planned, down to the interior design and frescoes, but was never built because Ludwig died before construction began. It was originally intended to be a castle in the Gothic style, but was later re-imagined as a robber baron’s castle, referring to the rulers who built castles built along the Rhine river in the 12th and 13th centuries.

23 Interesting Towers to Visit

Morgen Jahnke — Fri, 06 Oct 2006 13:00:02 +0000

Humans have been fascinated with creating tall structures for most of their history; from the Tower of Babel to the Pyramids of Egypt, these grand scale building projects are symbols of power and achievement. It is no different today, as builders around the world vie to construct the tallest structures possible.

But towers are not just impressive for their height; like the famous leaning tower in Pisa, towers can offer novelty, history, and an amazing view to the traveler who seeks them out.

Africa

Cairo Tower (Cairo, Egypt—187 metres/613 feet) Made out of granite, this tower was built to resemble a lotus plant.
Hassan Tower (Rabat, Morocco—44 metres/144 feet) Designed to be the largest minaret in the world at the time of its construction in A.D. 1195, this tower has ramps instead of stairs, allowing the muezzin to ride his horse to the top to issue the call to prayer.
Hillbrow Tower (Johannesburg, South Africa—270 metres/886 feet) This distinctive looking tower is part of Johannesburg’s official logo.

Asia & Oceania

Kuala Lumpur Tower (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia—421 metres/1381 feet) Home to the Kuala Lumpur International Towerthon, where competitors run uphill for 800 metres before climbing 2,058 steps to an observation deck 288 metres above the city.
Macau Tower (Macau, China—338 metres/1109 feet) The Macau Tower features high altitude activities to its visitors, including the SkyJump (similar to skydiving) and the SkyWalk X (visitors walk a narrow ledge tethered to an overhead rail system).
N Seoul Tower (Seoul, South Korea—236.7 metres/777 feet) This tower, recently renovated in 2005, is built on a 262 metre (860 feet) peak overlooking Seoul.
Oriental Pearl Tower (Shanghai, China—468 metres/1535 feet) This high-tech tower boasts a museum, a hotel, a rotating restaurant, various shops and an observation deck.
Sky Tower (Auckland, New Zealand—328 metres/1076 feet) Sky Tower, the tallest tower in the Southern Hemisphere, has a variety of amenities, including a guided climb up the tower’s mast and the SkyJump experience (similar to skydiving).
Sydney Tower (Sydney, Australia—305 metres/1001) At the top of the Sydney Tower, guests can visit OzTrek, a motion simulator ride showcasing Australia’s history and geography.
Tokyo Tower (Tokyo, Japan—333 metres/1092 feet) Built to resemble the Eiffel Tower in Paris, this iron tower houses an aquarium, wax museum, and two observatory floors.
Yellow Crane Tower (Wuhan, China—51.4 metres/169 feet) Symbol of the city of Wuhan, this tower was built in A.D. 223.

Europe

Blackpool Tower (Blackpool, UK—158 metres/518 feet) Built to resemble the Eiffel Tower, the tower complex is home to a circus and a famous ballroom (the Blackpool Tower Ballroom) where guests can take high tea while listening to the strains of a Wurlitzer organ.
Donauturm (Vienna, Austria—252 metres/827 feet) It’s possible to spend a romantic evening 152 metres (499 feet) in the air here; dinner, breakfast, and accommodation on the observation deck are all included.
Fernsehturm (Berlin, Germany—360 metres/1181 feet) Literally, the “TV Tower,” a spherical portion of this Berlin landmark was painted to resemble a magenta and silver colored football in honor of the 2006 World Cup.
La Tour Eiffel (Paris, France—324 metres/1063 feet) World-famous symbol of Paris, this much-imitated tower was designed by Gustave Eiffel for the centenary of the French Revolution in 1889.
Näsinneula Tower (Tampere, Finland—168 metres/551 feet) The Näsinneula Tower is the tallest observation tower in Scandinavia.
Rundetaarn (Copenhagen, Denmark—34.8 metres/114 feet) This “round tower,” completed in A.D. 1642, houses the oldest functioning observatory in Europe, where visitors can still view the night sky through a telescope.
Tallinn TV Tower (Tallinn, Estonia—314 metres/1030 feet) Built for the 1980 Moscow Summer Olympics, on clear days the tower affords visitors a view of Finland’s coast.
Tour Montparnasse (Paris, France—210 metres/689 feet) The breathtaking view from the top of this tower in the historic neighborhood of Montparnasse is well worth the visit.
Tower of London (London, UK) This “tower” is actually a royal fortress, formerly used to hold (and sometimes execute) political prisoners, but now boasts an exhibit of the royal Crown Jewels.

North America

CN Tower (Toronto, Canada—553 metres/1814 feet) This Toronto landmark is the tallest building in the world.
Montreal Tower Observatory (Montreal, Canada—175 metres/574 feet) The Montreal Tower, the highest inclined tower in the world, leans at an angle of 45 degrees (the Tower of Pisa leans at an angle of 5 degrees).
Coit Tower (San Francisco, USA—64 metres/210 feet) Built by philanthropist Lillie Hitchcock Coit to honor the fire fighters of the 1906 earthquake, the tower houses murals completed under the Works Progress Administration (WPA) project of the 1930s.

32 Weirdly Specific Museums

Joe Kissell — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 13:00:39 +0000

Taking as a starting point my short list in Museums of Interesting Things at Interesting Thing of the Day, I set out to discover other small museums that specialize in just one specific (and typically rather odd) subject matter. I thought I’d find a few more; it turns out there are dozens. Here’s a mere sampling from around the world; for other lists, see Weird museums and America’s Weird Museums. And by the way, these are all brick-and-mortar museums; there are many more that exist only on the Web.

Automata:
- (1) Marvin’s Marvelous Mechanical Museum (Farmington Hills, Michigan)
- (2) Musée Mécanique (San Francisco, California)—as mentioned in The Musée Mécanique at Interesting Thing of the Day
Bakelite: (3) Bakelite Museum (Williton, Somerset, England)—as mentioned in Jackie Chappell’s article Bakelite at Interesting Thing of the Day
Bananas: (4) The Washington Banana Museum (Auburn, Washington)
Barbed Wire:
- (5) Devil’s Rope Museum (McLean, Texas)
- (6) Kansas Barbed Wire Museum (Lacrosse, Kansas)
Bricks:
- (7) Frank and Jane Clement Brick Museum (Orchard Park, New York)
- (8) Haverstraw Brick Museum (Haverstraw, New York)
- (9) World Brick Museum (Maizuru City, Japan)
Cheese:
- (10) Cheese Museum of the Netherlands (Het Hollands Kaasmuseum, Alkmaar, Netherlands)
- (11) Cuba Cheese Museum (Cuba, New York)
Cockroaches: (12) The Cockroach Hall of Fame Museum (Plano, Texas)
Corkscrews: (13) The Corkscrew Museum (Le Musée du Tire-Bouchon, between Cavaillon and Apt in Provence, France)
Fans: (14) The Fan Museum (Greenwich, London, England)
Hats:
- (15) The Hat Museum (Portland, Oregon)
- (16) Hat Works (Stockport, Cheshire, England)
Lawnmowers: (17) British Lawnmower Museum (Southport, Lancashire, England)
Lingerie: (18) Frederick’s of Hollywood Lingerie Museum (Los Angeles, California)
Medical Paraphernalia:
- (19) Glore Psychiatric Museum (St. Joseph, Missouri)
- (20) The Museum of Questionable Medical Devices (St. Paul, Minnesota)
- (21) The New Orleans Pharmacy Museum (New Orleans, Louisiana)
Pencils: (22) The Cumberland Pencil Museum (Keswick, Cumbria, England)
Pez Dispensers: (23) Burlingame Museum of Pez Memorabilia (Burlingame, California)
Rice:
- (24) Muzium Padi (Rice Museum, Kedah, Malaysia)
- (25) Rice Museum (Georgetown, South Carolina)
Shoes:
- (26) The Bata Shoe Museum (Toronto, Ontario, Canada)
- (27) Deutsches Ledermuseum (German Leather Museum/Shoe Museum, Offenbach, Germany)
- (28) Giant Shoe Museum (Seattle, Washington)
- (29) Museo del Calzado (Museum of Shoes, Elda, Spain)
- (30) The Temple University School of Podiatric Medicine Shoe Museum (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
Toilets: (31) Sulabh International Museum of Toilets (New Delhi, India)
Water: (32) New York Museum of Water (New York, New York)

20 Most Popular U.S. Baby Names in 2005 and 1885

Morgen Jahnke — Wed, 13 Sep 2006 13:00:05 +0000

There seems to be a trend lately of parents choosing names for their children that may be considered more traditional. I think this may be a backlash against decades of popular baby names that were newly coined or given new spellings. It’s interesting to see that there are some names that remain popular from one century to another.

2005

	boys	girls
1.	Jacob	Emily
2.	Michael	Emma
3.	Joshua	Madison
4.	Matthew	Abigail
5.	Ethan	Olivia
6.	Andrew	Isabella
7.	Daniel	Hannah
8.	Anthony	Samantha
9.	Christopher	Ava
10.	Joseph	Ashley
11.	William	Sophia
12.	Alexander	Elizabeth
13.	Ryan	Alexis
14.	David	Grace
15.	Nicholas	Sarah
16.	Tyler	Alyssa
17.	James	Mia
18.	John	Natalie
19.	Jonathan	Chloe
20.	Nathan	Brianna

1885

	boys	girls
1.	John	Mary
2.	William	Anna
3.	James	Emma
4.	George	Elizabeth
5.	Charles	Margaret
6.	Frank	Minnie
7.	Joseph	Clara
8.	Henry	Bertha
9.	Robert	Ida
10.	Thomas	Annie
11.	Edward	Alice
12.	Harry	Florence
13.	Walter	Bessie
14.	Fred	Grace
15.	Arthur	Ethel
16.	Albert	Nellie
17.	Clarence	Martha
18.	Samuel	Sarah
19.	Louis	Ella
20.	Grover	Mabel

Source: Social Security Administration

Update: This post was featured in the October 6, 2006 edition of the Carnival of Pregnancy.

13 Oral Hygiene Practices from the Past

Morgen Jahnke — Tue, 12 Sep 2006 13:00:59 +0000

It seems like every time I go to buy toothpaste there are fifty new kinds to choose from. Offering endless combinations of properties (whitening, tartar control, breath-freshening, cavity protection, sensitive teeth formula) in a vast array of media (paste, gel, liquid gel, sparkle gel) and flavors, I usually opt for my old standby, plain mint paste.

Although I find it daunting to have so many choices, I am glad that our toothpaste technology is so advanced. People in other times didn’t have it so easy; they resorted to a lot of strange methods to keep their teeth clean and their breath fresh.

To Freshen the Breath:

Goat’s milk; white wine; old urine (1st Century C.E.)
Strawberries (19th Century)

To Protect Against Toothache:

Pills made of grated garlic and saltpeter, inserted into the ear (3000 B.C.E)
Wearing bones picked from wolf excrement (1st Century C.E.)
Washing teeth with tortoise blood three times a year (1st Century C.E.)

To Heal the Gums:

Ashes from burnt mice, rabbit or wolf heads, ox heels and goat feet (1st Century C.E.)

Items Used To Clean the Teeth:

“Chew stick”—made from small twigs or tree roots (3000 B.C.E.)
Linen towel (3rd Century B.C.E.)
Paste made from burnt bread (18th Century)
Paste made from dragon’s blood, cinnamon and burnt alum (18th Century)
Charcoal (19th Century)
Combination of myrrh, honey and sage (19th Century)
Combination of cuttlefish bone, cream of tartar, drop lake and clover oil (19th Century)

Sources: The Wisdom Tooth Site and the Oral-B Learning Center

Eight Body-Based Units of Measurement

Joe Kissell — Fri, 08 Sep 2006 13:00:45 +0000

Before we had precise, standardized units of measure such as meters and feet, lengths (and even, ocasionally volumes) were reckoned based on the average dimensions of human body parts. In Body-Based Units of Measurement at Interesting Thing of the Day, I listed a few such historical units of measure, which can still come in handy for rough approximations if you don’t have a ruler or tape measure handy.

cubit: This is the distance from a man’s elbow to the tip of his middle finger, which would be about 18 inches for the average man today. (Men, of course, did the building at the time the cubit was in regular use; a woman’s “cubit” would typically be shorter.)
foot: It probably goes without saying that the unit foot was based on the length of a man’s foot.
span: Stretch out the fingers of your hand so that the tip of your thumb is as far away as possible from the tip of your pinky. That distance is called a “span,” which for most people is almost exactly half a cubit.
handbreadth: The width of your four fingers where they meet the palm—usually about 4 inches—is a handbreadth or sometimes just a “hand.” The height of horses is usually expressed in hands.
digit: The width of a finger, which tends to be about 13/16 of an inch.
thumb: The width of a thumb, which was later used as the basis for the inch.
fathom: If you stretch out your arms to either side of your body as far as they’ll go, the distance between the tips of your middle fingers will be very close to your height, or about six feet—your own feet, that is—a length also known as a fathom.
handful: Although we normally use the word handful in the informal sense of “just a little bit,” your hand can serve as a fairly repeatable measure of volume for dry goods such as grains, beans, and seeds.

The Questionnaires of James Lipton, Bernard Pivot, and Marcel Proust

Joe Kissell — Wed, 06 Sep 2006 13:00:53 +0000

Fans of Inside the Actor’s Studio are familiar with James Lipton’s list of questions, which he poses to each of his guests at the end of an interview. Lipton always gives credit for this list to French talk show host Bernard Pivot, who hosted Apostrophes from 1975–1990 and Bouillon de Culture from 1990–2001; he often mentions that the list originally came from French novelist Marcel Proust (1871–1922). Proust did not actually create the questionnaire that frequently has his name attached, though he did famously answer two versions of it (once at age 13, and a second time at age 20), and thereby gave the lists a certain notoriety. Their original author is unknown.

As it turns out, Lipton’s list differs in three questions from Pivot’s, and neither of the lists has a single question in common with either of Proust’s! But here are all four lists (the last three being approximate French translations).

James Lipton’s Questionnaire

What is your favorite word?
What is your least favorite word?
What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally?
What turns you off?
What is your favorite curse word?
What sound or noise do you love?
What sound or noise do you hate?
What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
What profession would you not like to do?
If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?

Bernard Pivot’s Questionnaire

What is your favorite word?
What is your least favorite word?
What is your favorite drug?
What sound or noise do you love?
What sound or noise do you hate?
What is your favorite curse word?
Who would you like to see on a new banknote?
What profession other than your own would you not like to attempt?
If you were reincarnated as some other plant or animal, what would it be?
If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?

Marcel Proust’s Questionnaires

At age 13:

What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
Where would you like to live?
What is your idea of earthly happiness?
To what faults do you feel most indulgent?
Who are your favorite fictional heroes?
Who are your favorite characters in history?
Who are your favorite heroines in real life?
Who are your favorite fictional heroines?
Who is your favorite painter?
Who is your favorite musician?
What quality do you most admire in a man?
What quality do you most admire in a woman?
What is your favorite virtue?
What is your favorite occupation?
Who would you have liked to be?

At age 20:

What is your most marked characteristic?
What quality do you most like in a man?
What quality do you most like in a woman?
What do you value most in your friends?
What is your principal defect?
What is your favorite occupation?
What is your dream of happiness?
What to your mind would be the greatest misfortune?
What would you like to be?
In what country would you like to live?
What is your favorite color?
What is your favorite flower?
What is your favorite bird?
Who are your favorite prose writers?
Who are your favoite poets?
Who are your favorite fictional heros?
Who are your favorite fictional heroines?
Who are your favorite composers?
Who are your favorite painters?
Who are your heroes in real life?
Who are your favorite heroines of history?
What are your favorite names?
What do you most dislike?
What historical figures do you most despise?
What event in military history do you most admire?
What reform do you most admire?
What natural gift would you most like to possess?
How would you like to die?
What is your present state of mind?
To what faults do you feel most indulgent?
What is your motto?

Eight early photographic printing techniques

Morgen Jahnke — Wed, 23 Aug 2006 13:00:16 +0000

Now that digital photography has gained such popularity, there will soon be a generation for whom getting photos “developed” will seem entirely foreign. It’s just a fact of life that as a new technology gains popularity, it overshadows the previous one, and that is especially true in the case of photography. Early photographic processes may seem quite strange to us now (egg white and salt?), but soon our children and grandchildren will start asking us, if they haven’t already, to explain why we ever needed to go to the store (or darkroom) to create the family photo.

Daguerrotype
Printed on: Silver-plated copper
Materials used: iodine, mercury, chlorine and bromine vapors
Inventors: Louis J.M. Daguerre in collaboration with Joseph Nicephore Niepce (1839)
Calotype/Talbotype
Printed on: Paper
Materials used: silver nitrate, potassium iodide, gallic acid
Inventor: William Henry Fox Talbot (1840)
Wet Collodion Process
Printed on: Glass
Materials used: collodion, potassium iodide, silver nitrate
Inventor: Frederick Scott Archer (1848)
Albumen Prints
Printed on: Paper
Materials used: egg white, salt, silver nitrate
Inventor: Louis Desire Blanquart-Evrard (1850)
Ambrotype
Printed on: Glass
Materials used: iodized collodion, silver nitrate, chemical developer
Inventor: Frederick Scott Archer (1854)
Tintypes
Printed on: Thin sheet of iron, covered with black paint
Materials used: iodized collodion, silver nitrate
First used: 1856
Carbon Prints
Printed on: Carbon “tissue”
Materials used: gelatin, potassium bichromate
Inventor: Joseph Wilson Swan (1864)
Autochrome
Printed on: Glass
Materials used: potato starch. silver-halide emulsion
Inventors: Auguste and Louis Lumiere (1904)

For more information, go here or here.

Eight people who might be the “real” Shakespeare

Morgen Jahnke — Thu, 10 Aug 2006 13:00:12 +0000

In academic circles, the question of Shakespeare’s “real” identity has long been debated. Some scholars believe, for various reasons, that the historical person known as William Shakespeare was not the actual author of the works he is known for today. Entire books have been dedicated to the subject, on both sides of the issue. I recently read Stephen Greenblatt’s biography of Shakespeare, Will in the World: How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare, which carefully lays out the existing evidence that links William Shakespeare, the historical person, to elements of the writings, and in the absence of direct evidence, makes reasonable assumptions about these connections. I found the book quite convincing, but I personally don’t need proof of authorship to enjoy the plays and poems, although I do love good literary gossip. For those interested in the controversy, here are the leading contenders:

Francis Bacon: aristocrat and philosopher known for formulating the Baconian method; the earliest contender
Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford: a poet and patron of the arts; currently the most popular contender (see “Shakespeare” by Another Name by Mark Anderson)
Christopher Marlowe: poet and playwright; a historically popular contender even though he died before many of Shakespeare’s works appeared
Sir Henry Neville: diplomat and distant relative of Shakespeare; the newest addition to the list (see The Truth Will Out: Unmasking the Real Shakespeare by Brenda James and William D. Rubinstein)
William Stanley, 6th Earl of Derby
Roger Manners, 5th Earl of Rutland
Mary Sidney Herbert, Countess of Pembroke
William Shakespeare (yes, it’s still possible)

For much more information on this debate, go here, here, or here.

Six drinks invented in San Francisco

Joe Kissell — Tue, 08 Aug 2006 13:00:38 +0000

Quick, name something that was invented in San Francisco! You probably thought of Rice-a-Roni, and you’d be right. You’d also be right if you said the television, fortune cookies, the slot machine, bay windows, or any of these famous beverages:

The Martini (maybe)
The Cosmopolitan (probably)
Irish Coffee (sort of)
The Mai Tai
The Mimosa
Bloody Brigid

Six bestselling books about Da Vinci, the Templars, and the Holy Grail

Morgen Jahnke — Thu, 27 Jul 2006 13:00:23 +0000

The following books with subject matter relating to the Holy Grail, Leonardo Da Vinci and/or the Templars all appeared on the April 9, 2006 New York Times Hardcover Fiction and Paperback Nonfiction Bestseller Lists:

The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown (Holy Grail, Da Vinci, Templars) (hardcover | paperback)
The Templar Legacy by Steve Berry (Templars) (paperback)
The Secret Supper by Javier Serra (Da Vinci) (paperback)
The Last Templar by Raymond Khoury (Templars) (paperback)
Labyrinth by Kate Mosse (Holy Grail) (paperback)
Holy Blood, Holy Grail by Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh and Henry Lincoln (Holy Grail, Templars) (paperback)